Learn how to quickly and easily create your very own custom photo book with a great new site called SmileBooks.com. This is one of my favorite new printing sites. Things I love include good instructions, fast installation, variety of good sizes, no file uploads, and the ability to easily use your own photos as your backgrounds.

Step 1 - Getting Started

The first thing you need to do is visit www.smilebooks.com. Click "Create a Photo Book" and then click the "Download Software Now" button. You will then be directed to a great instructions page. After reading the instructions click the "Start Download" button. The download should only take a few minutes. Once the download is finished just double click on the file and follow the installation instructions.

Step 2 - Using the software.

Once the software is installed, go ahead and start the program. You will now need to choose the size of photo book you would like to make. You can choose from 12 x 12, 8 1/2 x 11, 8 x 8, and 5 x 5. For this tutorial we will be making a 8 x 8 photo book. So click the tab "Small Photo Books" then click the "Create Button. You will then be asked if you would like to create with or without the help of their Assistant.

Step 3 - Getting started.

For this tutorial we are going to skip the Assistant and dive right in. First take a moment to look over your new work space. You will see the type and size of your book in the upper left. Just below that you will find three tabs: Images, Layout, and Background. Running along the top are your pages, below that is your tool bar, and below that is the page you are working on. You can mouse over any of these items to find out what they are.

Step 4 - Adding pictures.

Adding your pictures is easy. Click the Image tab and below you will folders from your computer. Navigate to the location of the images you plan to use. The you can just drag and drop the pictures where you want them

Step5 - Laying out your pages.

To change a page layout click the Layout tab, choose the number of photos you want for each page, and then choose the layout your like best. Then just drag you pictures into the ready made frames. You can then move and size the pictures tell they look how you want them to. Experiment a little. You will find you can drag the edges of your boxes to change the size and shape. You can also zoom in and out using the + and - tools on the tool bar.

To add the white boarder like I did just click the boarder button on your tool bar. I used a width of 25 and the color White. You then apply the board to one or all of your images.

Step 6 - Adding a background.

To add on of Smilebooks ready made background click the Background tab. You can then browse by category or have it "Show all". To use one of their ready made background just drag and drop on to the page. At first I was disappointed because there background where kind of limiting. Then, with a little searching, I discovered a way to use your own pictures for the background. This means that you can use photographs (as I did), digital papers or even complete scrapbook pages. SUPER COOL! To do this right click on the page and choose "Image as background...". You can place it on the right, left or have it cover both pages.

Step 6 - Purchasing your Smilebook.

Once you have your pages laid out how you want them it is time to order your book. Click on the shopping cart icon at the tip of your workspace and save your book to the shopping cart. You will then be asking to create an account. If every looks right in your shopping cart click the "Start order process" button. On the next screen you will be asked to create an account and enter an promo codes. Then just follow the directions and fill in the appropriate information. Once you fill out your info and confirm your order it will be electronically prepared. This may take a little while.

I haven't received my Smilebook yet, but I am very excited. I was pleasantly surprised with the software. I was able to throw a book together in about an hour. i was especially happy with how easy it was to create your own backgrounds (once I figured it out : ) anyway). I also like how fast it was. No wasting time uploading photos you aren't even sure you are going to use. Check it out - Smilebooks.com

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